


a sacred time

by LiveLaughLovex



Category: The Code (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Developing Relationship, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Minor Nona Ferry/Trey Ferry, Post-Season/Series 01, Pre-John "Abe" Abraham/Harper Li
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:54:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21968896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiveLaughLovex/pseuds/LiveLaughLovex
Summary: Harper’s first Christmas Eve at the Ferry residence was a lively affair. That was what made it her best Christmas yet.
Relationships: John "Abe" Abraham & Harper Li, John "Abe" Abraham & Maya Dobbins, John "Abe" Abraham/Harper Li, John “Abe” Abraham & Trey Ferry, Maya Dobbins & Harper Li
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	a sacred time

**Author's Note:**

> Christmas time is family time; family time is a sacred time. - Anonymous

Harper’s first Christmas Eve at the Ferry residence was a lively affair. With six weeks to go until Nona’s due date, the entire house looked a bit like a nursery. Abe and Trey spent most of the morning attempting to put together two cribs and a changing table. They did the best they could whilst completely ignoring the packets of instructions that’d come with the items, then begrudgingly allowed themselves to be sent off to the sidelines when Maya arrived and took over, succeeding to do what they couldn’t in under an hour.

“I’m honestly curious – did you think it was a good idea to leave that many screws unused?” Maya questioned amusedly, taking a sip of wine and then setting the glass back on the table.

“They’re from IKEA,” Abe defended himself, reaching for the bottled beer Trey extended in his direction with a nod of thanks. “A dozen extra screws is far from the strangest thing ever found in one of their boxes.”

“Two boxes,” Harper corrected helpfully. “There were also a dozen screws left over from the second box. You just convinced yourselves they’d screwed up with all of them.”

“That’s impressive,” Maya smirked. “Is there anything else these two have put together that goes in the nursery?” she asked Nona. “Because if there is, I’d be happy to have a look.”

Nona exhaled laughingly when both her husband and Abe began muttering under their breath in response to the playful jab. “I’ll let you know,” she promised lightly.

“Good,” Maya nodded, reaching for her phone when it began ringing. She glanced quickly at the screen, then back at the group gathered around you. “Oh, sorry, it’s my brother,” she told them. “He and Neil are in Vermont with Neil’s family; he might need moral support. Excuse me,” she added before pushing away from the table and vanishing from the room.

A timer buzzed on Nona’s phone, causing her to struggle to her feet. Trey trailed after her, ready to help in any way he was needed, and Abe and Harper were left alone for one of the first time since she’d arrived hours earlier.

“Speaking of family,” Abe began, quietly enough that no one would overhear, “I’m surprised you’re not with yours. As glad as I am to have you here, I figured you would be spending the week in San Francisco.”

“So did I,” Harper murmured in response, shrugging helplessly and offering her friend a self-deprecating smile when he glanced over at her curiously. “Tell you later,” she promised just as Maya returned. 

“Abe, can you come help?” Nona called from the kitchen. “There’s too many dishes in here for me and Trey to carry between the two of us.”

“I’m coming,” Abe returned quickly, pushing back from the table and practically jogging to the kitchen. “You don’t need to be carrying anything heavy.”

Nona walked ahead of the men with only a basket of bread, rolling her eyes fondly. “I’m so glad to now have two paranoid Marines following me around. Just for the record, Abe, I’m pretty sure picking up a casserole dish wouldn’t send me into early labor.”

“You can never be too careful,” Abe replied, placing the dishes he’d grabbed on the table and then turning back to collect the last of the food from the kitchen. “It’s no trouble anyway,” he promised Nona. “You should relax, make sure those guys stay where they belong for at least a few more weeks.”

“Okay,” Nona sighed amusedly, carefully lowering herself into the nearest chair. One of the babies kicked her in the kidney just as she settled herself, causing her to wince. “I’m hoping this one has a soccer career. It’s only fair, if she’s going to put me through all this.”

“I’m sure she'll be the best ball player there's ever been, sweetheart,” Trey assured her, taking the chair next to her as everyone gathered around the table to eat.

“Has anyone talked to Rami or Nazil?” Maya questioned, passing the mashed potatoes over to Harper and accepting the macaroni and cheese from Trey with a nod of thanks.

“They’re currently in Michigan with his family,” Abe reported, stabbing a green bean as he spoke. “They’ll be back on the twenty-seventh; that’s when Nazil’s family is getting in from London.”

“Well, hopefully they’ll be able to make it for New Year’s,” Nona commented, forking a bite of turkey. “It’d be nice to see them again. Nadia, too. It feels like it’s been forever since they came by.”

“Rami already told me they’re planning to attend,” Trey told her, passing the breadbasket across to Harper. “They’ll be bringing the baby with them.”

“Good,” Nona smiled. “Glad to hear it. So,” she began, turning to Maya, “what is this I hear about you having some sort of flirtation with a certain defense lawyer?”

Harper laughed with the rest of the table’s occupants as Maya, usually the most unabashed person she’d ever met, blushed and stammered her way through a response. Warmth filled her chest as she watched Trey and Abe tease their friend over her so-called “crush.” It was something rather amazing, how at ease she felt around these people. Not even two years in, and she already considered them family. She was a thousand times more comfortable around them than she was around some of the people she’d known half her life, and it didn’t exactly take a genius to figure out why.

She was at ease because she felt peace, because she’d found the place that felt like home and the people that felt like family. Everything in that moment was good, right, comfortable, like it just might last forever.

That alone was enough of a Christmas miracle to last her at least a few decades, perhaps more. That by itself was enough to make all the years of loneliness completely worth it.

-o-

“Good night,” Harper murmured several hours later, pulling away from Nona’s embrace with a warm smile. “Call if either of you need anything, okay?”

“I will,” Nona promised, turning to embrace Abe as well. “Drive carefully, you two.”

“I’ll get her home safe,” Abe assured their friend, turning to shake Trey’s hand as well. “Thanks for having us.”

“Anytime,” Nona replied genuinely, waving as they exited the house and began making their way down the path to Abe’s parked car.

“Thanks for giving me a ride, by the way,” Harper said, smiling gratefully when he opened the passenger-side door for her.

“You’ve already said that,” he reminded her amusedly, closing the door behind her and then circling around to his side. “Half a dozen times. You didn’t even really need to say it once,” he added as he climbed behind the wheel and turned the key in the ignition. “Your car’s on its last leg, and stopping by your place didn’t send me out of my way.”

“My car’s not on its last leg,” she protested, buckling her seatbelt. “It’s pretty much brand-new; it’s way too early for that. It’s just… temperamental. And I know it’s not out of your way, but it was still nice of you. I could’ve taken an Uber.”

“No,” he replied seriously. “I wouldn’t have let that happen. Too many horror stories in the news about those ride-share companies lately.”

“I have a knife and pepper spray on my person at almost all times,” she reminded him.

“I know you do, and I don’t want to know where they are right now,” he replied. “Ubers are nowhere near safe. I’ll give you a ride anywhere you want to go until your car gets fixed.”

“You just opened Pandora’s Box with that offer,” she informed him humorously.

He shrugged, shooting a wry smile her way. “Spending time in your company isn’t exactly a hardship, Harper,” he replied, backing out of the Ferrys’ driveway and carefully pulling onto the main road. “So,” he began about five minutes later, “you want to tell me what’s going on between you and your parents?”

Harper sighed defeatedly, falling back into her seat. “They’ve chosen to spend the holidays at a skiing resort in Juneau.”

“Your parents know how to ski?” Abe asked incredulously.

“They do not,” Harper informed him. “They do, however, know how to drop thousands upon thousands of dollars on a weeklong vacation without any warning. I’m trying really hard not to take it personally, but they’ve avoided me in every way they can since I called to tell them the engagement was off. It’s getting a little insulting, honestly.”

“Well, if they were going to lecture you about your broken engagement the whole time, then maybe it’s a good thing they chose to spend these next few days in Alaska,” Abe suggested.

Harper nodded once. “Maybe,” she agreed quietly. “I don’t know why I care so much, really. I’m not incredibly close to either one of my parents. I was mostly raised by nannies. It’s just – after their reaction to my decision to join the Corps, I really could have done without them telling me I’m making a huge mistake all over again.”

“After spending a significant amount of time with you, your fiancé honestly believed you’d want to leave the Corps and return to a life of galas and cocktail receptions,” Abe reminded her. “If anything, your parents should be relieved their only child didn’t end up marrying a man who doesn’t actually know anything about the person she is now.”

“Yeah,” Harper scoffed humorlessly. “The fact you think that’s even an option shows how differently our upbringings were. The only thing my parents have ever cared about is their reputation, and my decision to break off my engagement has damaged it. But maybe you’re right; maybe it’s best for all of us if they’re out of the country this first Christmas. It’ll keep us from saying things we don’t mean. Or, well, things we mean but still shouldn’t say.”

Abe smiled sympathetically. “You can spend tomorrow with my family,” he offered. “My sister’s coming in from New York; my brother’s on leave for the next two weeks. My mom will be there, and she loves you. Seems like it’s a better idea to let you hear the embarrassing stories of my childhood straight from the source than leave you alone with your thoughts.”

“Yes,” Harper agreed, mildly relieved at the prospect of being around other people the next day. “I mean, if your family doesn’t mind.”

“Harper,” he replied, his tone suggesting what he was about to say was something she should’ve already known, “ _you_ are my family, too.”

Harper, finding herself suddenly mute in the face of that heartfelt declaration, simply nodded. The words filled her with warmth and an emotion she found herself struggling to identify, one that somehow managed to seem both completely right and utterly terrifying at the same time.

 _Whatever_ , she thought to herself. She’d figure out a way to decipher it after the holidays were over. Until then, she’d just revel in it.

**Author's Note:**

> It's about ten past midnight where I am, which means I missed out on posting this on Christmas. Sorry! I really tried, but I've been busy with family, and as much as I love Trey and Nona's fictional little ones, the one trying to walk around at our family festivities on Christmas Eve was a little too adorable to be ignored in favor of writing. Due to those festivities, nobody in the family was up before ten, and then we spent the rest of the day eating leftovers, so... busy times. I hope you enjoyed this. I was going to have my Christmas story set in the first to fight series, but then realized I've already written one for this year's Christmas in that series, and writing about the next two would spoil more things than I want to spoil. I'll be back with more of that soon, though; I promise.


End file.
